Stonebridge Road is undergoing a £100,000 facelift but the long-term future of Ebbsfleet United may lie away from the Northfleet ground.

Roof improvements started at the stadium this week and the Fleet’s new Kuwaiti owners have also promised to build a new stand at Stonebridge Road.

But the club only has 13 years left on their lease at the ground, which was bought by Gravesham Borough Council in 2009.

Ebbsfleet chairman Dr Abdulla Al Humaidi, who made his money through property development in the Middle East, is funding the ground development work.

Club director Stuart Butler-Gallie said: “Dr Abdulla’s taken something of a risk because we only have a lease through to 2025 here. If anybody wants to question his commitment, he’s invested in this club knowing we’ve got to work with the council.

“We want to make sure that if it’s Stonebridge Road or if it’s another site that Gravesham put forward as part of their plans, we want to make the stadium the right stadium for Ebbsfleet United.”

Fleet vice-chairman Peter Varney also hinted at a future move. He said: “We’ve made a commitment to construct a new stand here but there may be other possibilities. All we want to understand is the wider context of what’s going on in the area.

“It (the ground) has only got a 13-year lease left, so that makes us slightly nervous. We want to make sure what the council’s position is, both in relation to this site and potentially somewhere else.”